Sunriver Resort
Resort History
Centuries ago, water once covered the vast Sunriver area. Eventually, that water broke through its natural dam, leaving behind a dry lake bed that slowly developed into one of the Northwest's most beautiful meadows, in which is nestled our luxury hotel in Oregon. The meadow became a gathering place for Native Americans living in the region and later for trappers, settlers, and explorers, including John Fremont and Kit Carson, who led expeditions along the banks of the Deschutes River in the 1800's. In 1943, the US Army claimed the meadow as training grounds and called it Camp Abbot, after a Pacific Railroad surveyor, Lt. Henry Abbot.
In 1965, John D. Gray, founder of Omark Industries, and Donald V. McCallum, a Portland attorney, announced their plan to build a gem among resorts and hotels in Oregon. They gave this resort the name Sunriver to reflect the most characteristic features of the area. With a strong emphasis on preserving its natural surroundings, Sunriver has realized a unique balance between development and nature. Guided by the vision of Gray and McCallum, the result has been the development of a true diamond among Oregon resorts, and a place of casual but luxurious comfort surpassing all other Oregon lodgings and Pacific Northwest vacation destinations.
Weather
Sunriver experiences a climate typical of the high desert - warm days and cool, dry nights in the summer and cool and refreshing in the winter. Central Oregon enjoys almost 300 days of sunshine per year with low humidity levels and an arid, high desert climate. At 4,200 feet in elevation, most of the precipitation in Sunriver falls as snow during the winter months.
Rain shadow Effect - Sunriver and Central Oregon lie to the east of the Cascade Mountain range creating a rain shadow effect in the region. Most of the moisture from the Pacific storms stay to the west of the Cascade range in the valley. The high desert region therefore stays mostly high and dry. Sunriver averages about 34 inches of snow per year, typically beginning in early November and lasting thru late March/early April. Nearby Mt. Bachelor receives about 370 inches annually.
Greening Initiatives
Click here to learn more about the Sunriver Resort's Green Initiatives.
